A Long Day
by Femme55
Summary: It's been a long day for Ari and Dante. But if they stick together, long days aren't that bad.


I own nothing. All characters belong to Benjamin Alire Saenz.

Ari leaned over, gently brushed away some untamed curls, and pressed his lips gently against the forehead of the small form huddled under the covers. She was still warm, but considerably less so. He reached for the thermometer again just in case, holding it carefully against her temple and holding the button. Six seconds later it beeped and he pulled it back, a sigh of relief escaping as he read the number. 100.1. Definitely an improvement. He kissed her on the temple and left the dark room, careful not to step on any of the blocks, stuffed animals and books strewn haphazardly over the floor. She definitely didn't get her messiness from him.

"How is she? Any better?" Dante looked up from his sketch pad as Ari entered the kitchen, a look of concern on his tired face. It was late – they both should be in bed right now – but they knew they wouldn't be able to sleep until that fever broke.

Ari nodded and walked over to Dante, wrapping his arms around his neck as he kissed the spot under his ear. Dante reached up and rubbed Ari's arm with his hand, and leaned back into him.

"It's coming down. I will check on her again in a bit. She's asleep. What are you working on?"

He buried his face in Dante's neck and looked down at the sketch pad. Dante had long since stopped hiding all of his work from Ari, the result of living together for so long and Dante's comfort level with his own work. Dante still hid some of his drawings though.

A few months ago Ari had been straightening up the corner of his office that Dante had taken over as his morning studio (the light was really good coming through those windows) and Ari had stumbled upon a portfolio filled with sketches, drawings and small paintings of himself and Dante. It was like a hand drawn photo album of the two of them – together as teenagers, Ari's hair still long and dark without the rapidly increasing grey of the past few years peppered through. Scenes from their years in college; Ari sleeping in the school library with a book open on his chest, the two of them cuddling on Dante's tiny dorm bed, clutching beers at some party. And dozens upon dozens of them throughout the years after college; some were rather graphic and sexy and Ari blushed and stared for a few seconds before moving on. Others were of such ordinary every day scenes that Ari was surprised Dante even drew them. There was also a series of drawings of their hands intertwined somehow – some with Ari's on top, some with Dante's on top or side by side – each progressive one showing new scars, freckles and gradual aging, then the appearance of wedding bands, and lately, a tiny hand added to theirs, making the couple into a trio. Their quiet, ordinary life together captured in charcoal, ink and paint.

Ari smiled at the sketch Dante was working on.

"That's beautiful Dante."

It was of Ari, asleep in the old rocking chair from his childhood bedroom, their four-year old daughter Josefina cuddled against his chest. They had fallen asleep like that this morning.

Josefina had woken up crying in the middle of the night with a raging fever, sore throat and an ear ache. Their pediatrician, Susie Byrd, a high school friend of Ari's, lived a block away and was happy to do house calls for them. She came over early, and after an exam and a swab she left, calling later to confirm what Ari had suspected: Strep. Ari remarked that it was probably from going to the pool with Dante all the time – that water was filled with germs – and rolled his eyes when he realized that he had in fact, turned into his own mother. Dante had been sent to the pharmacy for meds, soup and popsicles as Ari tried to soothe their daughter. Ari, exhausted from being up worrying most of the night, scooped a restless Josefina into his arms and rocked her, drifting off himself when his daughters breathing had grown deep and even against his chest. She loved being rocked to sleep. That's something she did get from him.

Ari woke up when he felt her weight and heat leave his chest, and he groggily scrambled for a second, panicking that he had dropped her, before realizing that Dante had her. He watched as Dante held her in his arms, swaying back and forth as she squirmed faintly, murmuring into her ear and pressing kisses against her temple to soothe her before carefully putting her into bed. She stuck her thumb into her mouth, but didn't wake. Dante brushed her wild dark curls away from her face and kissed her flushed cheek several times before pulling the blankets up to her chin. He tucked her in tightly and combed his fingers through her hair for a few seconds before standing and reaching a hand out to Ari to pull him out of the chair. They stood together and watched her sleep for a few seconds, a dark tangle of curls and closed eyes lined with thick dark lashes the only thing visible over the covers. They both crept out of the room and passed out in their own bed for about an hour until her crying woke them again.

Luckily, Dante didn't teach on Wednesdays and Ari had just sent a few chapters of his latest book to his editor the day before so they had no major obligations. The rest of the day had been filled with doses of pink bubble gum-flavored medicine, cuddles, cartoons, stories and restless cat naps; the three of them setting up camp in Ari and Dante's bed. Susie had stopped by later that evening and checked on them, happy with Josefina's progress. After a late dinner of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, chicken noodle soup and popsicles, Dante gave Josefina a warm bath as Ari changed her sheets and pulled out her favorite Star Wars pajamas. She slept peacefully for a few hours after that, but her fever spiked again and she woke up, crying out for Ari and tugging on her ear. He rocked her back to sleep after another dose of medicine, leaving Dante to clean up the mess in their bedroom, and finally laid her down when she began softly snoring against his chest. He checked on her every twenty minutes, and finally, after taking her temperature this last time, he was confident that it would keep declining steadily.

Ari kissed Dante again on the cheek and sat down next to him at the table, leaning sleepily on one hand as he watched Dante work on the shading on Ari's face in his drawing. Dante still amazed him, even after all these years, with his talent and his energy and his capacity for wonder. And now that he was raising a child with him? Dante amazed him on a whole new level. Dante was very much like Sam as a parent – he was far more laid back than Ari, he was a big kid, more open and exuberant, and always focused on having fun as well as learning. Josefina wanted to constantly play with Dante – Daddy! – they were always making forts, painting together, making a mess in the kitchen, and playing games or singing silly songs. Dante started teaching her the names of all the constellations, and taught her how to swim before she could even walk. They went to the pool at the university where Dante taught as often as they could, both of them water babies from day one.

Ari was the disciplinarian, the one worried about schedules and appointments, and making sure she took her vitamins, picked up her toys and ate her vegetables. He made sure she wore sunblock and he always grabbed an extra sweater and her favorite stuffed animal when they went out. He read the parenting magazines, and regularly checked all of the outlet covers and cabinet locks around the house. Dante may have been her favorite playmate, but when she had a bad dream, got scared or was sick, it was Ari – Dad! – she cried for. Ari was the rock that held the three of them together, the steadfast and solid one. They both read to her every night before bed, but Ari was the last one to check in on her before turning in, and he was the first one by her side if she woke up crying in the night. They balanced each other out.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Dante's lips. Dante smiled and looked up, putting down his pencil and giving Ari his full attention. They reached for each other's hands, lacing their fingers together.

"I was thinking about that summer we met today. When I came down with the flu. At the time I was so mad at my mom for coddling me and holding me hostage for a week, forcing gallons of chicken soup and water into me, but I think I finally get it." Ari rubbed his free hand over his face and checked his watch. 1:18 am. "She always said that one day I would understand why she and my father did the things they did – mostly the things that I thought were ridiculous that they did to try to protect me and keep me safe – and I hated when she said that. But she was right. I get it now."

Dante shook his head and raised their joined hands to press a kiss to Ari's knuckles.

"I know. I constantly think about the different things my parents did that I thought were insane at the time. The constant worrying. Always telling me to be careful or wear my shoes or stop playing in the street. All the things that I swore I would never say to my kid I catch myself saying constantly. Stop running – you'll fall. Put your shoes back on – there might be broken glass. Don't touch that bird – it could make you sick. Sometimes I say something to her and I just laugh when I realize that my parents said the same thing to me. Just wait until she's a teenager. And driving. And dating. She's not allowed to go out into the desert. Ever. The things we did out there…" Dante closed his eyes for a second and let out a little laugh. "We're screwed Ari. We're doomed to turn into our parents."

Ari laughed and squeezed Dante's hand harder. "We have good parents; we could turn into a lot worse." He looked down at their entwined fingers, a strange feeling coming over him as he thought about their daughter. "I was thinking today, as she was crying and burning up and I was holding her as tight as I could against my chest, just wanting that damn fever to break, about how hard it must have been for our parents when we were in the hospital. After the accident, and when you were jumped. We've both been worried all day, and this is just strep. She'll be fine after a few days. But there we were – broken, bruised, recovering from grave injuries and surgery. There was nothing our parents could do. It was out of their hands. I can't imagine how helpless they felt. I go crazy when Josefina gets a splinter. I get why my mom wanted to hold me hostage. I remember telling my mom that she was hovering too much when I was in the hospital. I just wanted her to leave me alone and not spend every second fretting over me, and I actually said that to her. And she listened. I feel horrible about that now. I feel like I should call both of our parents and apologize for putting them through that."

Dante let out a yawn and shook his head, laughing a little. "My dad's probably still awake. Call him. He'd love it."

Ari laughed. Sam probably was still awake, and up for a conversation. If Ari wasn't so damn tired he'd consider calling.

"We should get some sleep."

They both stood and Ari wrapped his arms around Dante, resting his head against Dante's broad chest. This was still Ari's favorite place in the whole world – in Dante's arms, his head pressed against his chest, Dante enveloping him in a tight hug.

They held each other like that for a few minutes, and then made their way out of the kitchen toward the hallway.

They stopped outside Josefina's door and both silently went inside. She hadn't moved since Ari last checked her and he felt her forehead with his hand before reaching for the thermometer. 99.3. Almost down to normal. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and moved back so Dante could kiss her and tuck her in tighter, and they stood watching her for a few seconds.

"Ready for another baby yet?" Dante whispered, wrapping his arm around Ari's shoulder.

Ari listened to Josefina's deep and even breathing, thinking back to how he loved watching her sleep when she was a baby. She made the cutest faces as she slept; she would randomly smile, frown or suck on her bottom lip. Sometimes she would even coo or laugh. She was a beautiful baby. Ari felt a slight ache in his chest remembering how tiny and perfect she was. All the sleepless nights, teething, potty training, and days like today – they were worth it. He could do it all again.

He tugged Dante's hand and they made their way out of the room, closing the door carefully before walking hand in hand toward their own.

"I'm ready when you are, Dante."


End file.
